Concert to offer tribute to American song master at National Heritage Museum in Lexington

Thursday

Oct 29, 2009 at 12:01 AMOct 29, 2009 at 7:38 PM

It’s the plaintive calling – “Moon River, wider than a mile, I’m crossing you in style, some day”— that is perhaps Johnny Mercer’s claim to immortality.

Margaret Smith

It’s the plaintive calling – “Moon River, wider than a mile, I’m crossing you in style, some day”— that is perhaps Johnny Mercer’s claim to immortality.

It immediately conjures images of a doe-eyed Audrey Heburn in 1961, with plenty of glamour and heartbreak to spare, in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

The Boston Musical Theater group wants audiences to hear it and remember, but also, to join in at “Johnny Mercer’s 100th Birthday Party” Sunday, Nov. 1 at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington.

“We are giving them the words to sing along. It’s always a satisfying finish when the audience can participate in some way,” said Charlotte Kaufman, Boston Musical Theater’s director.

Kaufman said the show is not only geared toward those who remember Mercer’s songs from seminal films or even the 1940s “Hit Parade.” She hopes to win a new generation of fans for Mercer, an Academy Award-winning lyricist featured in Ella Fitzgerald’s 1964 American Song Book series.

In addition to reaching out to younger audiences, Kaufman said Boston Musical Theater strives to encourage up and coming musical talent in their shows.

“I try to give young people a chance who are coming along,” said Kaufman said. “It is a mission, I feel, to give young performers a chance to work with us.”

Guest performers include mezzo-soprano Tynan Davis and tenor Mark DiCampo, along with returning guest pianist and composer Allen Bonde, father of soprano and ensemble member Mara Bonde of Concord.

Kaufman is passionate about reminding Americans of the nation’s indigenous musical traditions, in particular, jazz, along with the song standards she said enjoy a warm reception worldwide.

“We have done a lot of concerts abroad. The people over there know the music, and it isn’t just the older people,” Kaufman said.

Of the National Heritage Museum, where Boston Musical Theater has held several shows in the past, Kaufman said the central location is an asset, as is the museum’s atmosphere and emphasis on American history.

“I think the hall is so terrific, and the venue being filled with American flags and all-American everything,” Kaufman said.

She added, “I would do anything to engage younger groups of people. It is not just a trip down Memory Lane. It’s really good stuff.”

If you go

Johnny Mercer’s 100th Birthday Party

When Sunday, Nov. 1, 1:30 p.m.

Where National Heritage Museum, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington

Cost Advance, $45 priority reserved seating and $35 general seating; $40 unreserved, day of show

For more information Call 617-323-2766 or visit www.bostonmusicaltheater.org.

Margaret Smith is Arts and Calendar editor at GateHouse Media New England’s Northwest Unit. E-mail her at msmith@cnc.com.